Why are investment funds buying up Irish Property?

Large-scale private rented sector (PRS) investors, sometimes called vulture or cuckoo funds, have rapidly become a major force in the Irish property market over the last few years.

As recently as 2017, these funds were a minor and insignificant part of the housing market. However, these firms have spent more than €6 billion buying Irish homes, apartment buildings, and commercial properties over the last three and a half years.

The cuckoo funds show no sign of slowing down in 2021, as they have spent €1.5 billion so far this year, according to recent figures from estate agents and property adviser JLL. Most of these funds are backed by international investors, and have quickly become big players in the market, particularly investing in deals for new apartments in Dublin.

But what is driving this relatively new and rapidly growing force in the market?

Analysts say that an influx of cash in European markets, lack of yields in traditional assets including bonds, and the huge surge in housing demand and high rent prices in Ireland have combined to create a very lucrative …

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Mortgage Rates – comparison to Europe

High mortgage rates and strict mortgage regulations are greatly effecting borrowers. According to the Independent, Ireland’s high mortgage rates are costing borrowers up to  €60,000.

Although Irish mortgage rates have dropped in May according to data from the Central Bank, the rate remains the second highest in all of the eurozone. The only country that has higher mortgage rates than Ireland is Greece.

The average rate on all new mortgages averaged to 3.01% in May. The rate decreased by two basis points since April. However, the average rate in the european area amounts to only 1.68%. However, in comparison to the United States, the average rate is around 3.5%. The lowest mortgage rate in the eurozone is Finland. The rate defined in Finland is less than 1%.

According to the Banking and Payments Federation, the average first time buyer mortgage is now defined as €225,000. This means that the typical first time home buyer who is borrowing €225,000 over 30 years will pay about €143 more per month for their mortgage. If the average first time was able to borrow under the eurozone average rate, …

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Outlook on the Irish Housing Market

Key issues regarding the stability of the Irish economy seen in the housing market. The key issue of the housing crisis can be defined as growing demand that is not meet by current supply.

Many current government policies are concerned with increasing the volume of supply of completing housing units. For example, Rebuilding Ireland is associated with increasing housing supply to reduce homelessness. However, over the past 3 years supply has increased but housing prices have increased at a rate higher than the increase in supply. Governmental policies focus too much on supplying more volume instead of focusing on the affordability of housing.

According to Goodbody BER Housebulding Tracker, it is estimated that an additional 18,855 new housing units were added in 2018. This estimation is in line with previous forecasts. The majority of new dwelling competitions in 2018 were located in the Greater Dublin Area. More specifically, housing completions in the Greater Dublin Area accounted for 60% of the total new housing schemes in 2018. Although there has been an increase in the supply of housing, many problems in …

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High land prices keeps developers from supplying homes that are demanded

High costs of land is making developers unable to supply homes that are truly needed to solve the housing crisis. According to a leading developer, land prices specifically need to be reduced by 25% to 35% to meet Ireland’s real demand for housing.

The development company, O’Flynn Group is currently developing 1,600  new housing units across 11 sites in Dublin and Cork. O’Flynn Group’s chief executive, Michael Flynn stated that Ireland’s residential construction activity may be nearing a plateau. He reasons his statement because of restricting limits of supplying homes, ranging from mortgage lending limits to skill shortages in construction. Regulation serves as another limiting factor in supplying homes.

According to O’Flynn, the real demand for housing is twice the amount developers are able to deliver. He continues to denote that if artificial restrictions are not limited, and demand for affordable housing is not met than the housing crisis will only continue. Lastly, he noted that more households will be forced into the rental sector with out the hope of saving if the trends previously described continue.

O’Flynn was prompted …

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Government denies the warning signs of Cuckoo Funds

Cuckoo Funds has been recently used to describe big investors investments poured into developing build to rent housing. However, on average the developments funded by cuckoo funds are not affordable for the average individual or family. Some of the main investors that comprise of the cuckoo funds are large institutional investors like pension funds, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and special private rental firms. Investors are increasingly interested in attempting to tap into the growing demand for Irelands rental market.

Cuckoo funds are known for buying properties and charging insanely high and unaffordable prices for the properties. However, the Housing Minister Murphy has denied that housing is unaffordable. Murphy continued to argue and defend the government’s record on housing and claimed that the government has protected renters.

However, individuals have accused the government of ignoring the red flags of activities related to cuckoo funds. Multi-national venture funds have been able to sweep up properties and resell them for immense costs. Cuckoo funds have created 3,000 new housing units in 2018.

The government has not yet claimed to see the dangers …

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The Help to Buy Scheme

The Help to Buy (HTB) scheme is an incentive for first time property buyers. The scheme helps individuals with deposits needed to buy or build a house or apartment. The incentive is that the scheme will give individuals an income tax and deposit interest retention tax (DIRT) refund. This refund extends up to four years of income tax and DIRT tax paid in Ireland in arrears. The incentive has a limitation to a maximum of 5 percent of the purchase value of a home up to a value of €500,000.

To qualify for the scheme, individuals must be first time buyers. The property bought or going to built must be newly built with the construction subject to the value added tax (VAT) in Ireland. The requirements of the Help to Buy scheme also involves taking out a mortgage on the property with a qualifying lender. The loan to value ratio must be at least 70%. This loan to value ratio denotes the percent of the loan that covers the purchase value of the property.

The scheme is estimated to contribute about …

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Housing crisis only expected to get worse until 2023

According to Focus Ireland, the most optimistic statement on housing released by the government reveals that the housing crisis will continue get worse until 2022 or later. This statement is considered very optimistic as housing issues will likely progress into 2023.

The Department of Housing targets 48,000 new home completions by 2023. If this target is achieved, 2023 could be the first time that housing supply could potentially exceed housing demand. Figures provided by the Department of Housing have shown the first time that an admission denoted housing and homelessness will only continue to get worse in the next few years.

Although the Department of Housing has set a target of 48,000 new homes to be built by 2023, this target could be missed. If the target is completed or surpassed then burdens associated with the housing crisis could be significantly reduced. The problems that could be reduced would include reduced homelessness and new homes would create more supply for social and affordable housing. However, if homes were to be sold at current market values then the impact on …

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Heightening Taxes to Boost Spending

According to the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI), the government needs to look at generating extra funding for housing. How do you generate additional government funding? Taxes.

The need for increased spending on housing can be gained from heightening employer-related PRSI, property, gift and inheritance, and carbon taxes. Irelands government spending and tax revenue amounts to much lower than the average EU spending and revenue.

According to the Department of Finance, in 2018 just over €55.5 billion was received by the Exchequer. Tax on income and wealth amounted to 10.5% of the Irish GDP in 2017, while tax on individual or household income amounted to 7.3%.

Countries in the EU that have progressively developed more stable housing and social housing taxes and tax revenues are comparatively much higher than Irelands. For example, Denmark has established housing that over 22% of dwellings are social rented. Denmark’s tax on income and wealth amounts to 29.7% of their GDP and tax on individual or household income equates to 25.4% of Danish GDP.  Denmark exemplifies a similar country in the EU where the housing market …

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Changing Population and Effects on the Housing Crisis

According to the Central Statistics Office, Ireland’s population is expected to grow from 4.78 million in 2019 to 5.9 million by 2046. The growth is occurring due to economic growth and recovery since the 2008 recession. The population of Ireland has increased by just over a million people since 1999. The rapid population growth suggest an even greater demand for housing in the future. The housing crisis will only continue to progress, because demand for homes and apartments will only continue to grow as the population increases.

An additional 1.12 million people will need to be housed by 2046 as population continues to grow. At least 12,500 homes need to be built each year until 2021. This is a massive task, considering that Ireland built just over 8,500 homes in 2012.

Demographic changes in population also present challenges in supplying more housing. Ireland’s population is aging. The 2016 National Census has confirmed that there has been a 19.1% increase in people aged over 65. By 2046, people over the age of 65 are expected to account for 1.4 million of …

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New Offers for Social Housing at Staggering Prices

A developer by the name of Pat Crean has offered 36 apartment for social housing to a local Dublin authority. Pat Crean’s Marlet development group offered to construct the apartments for the Dundrum area of Dublin. The Marlet group comprises of one of two fast-track housing applications for the Dundrum area of Dublin. The other part of the fast track housing application is formed by the Crekav Trading GP. Crekav Trading GP has proposed to sell 25 apartments from its overall planned 253 apartments in Greenacres, Longacre and Drumahill house. These 25 apartments have an estimated cost of €8.346 million.

The 36 apartments have been estimated at a cost to construct of €11.8 million. Meaning that on average the cost per apartment amounts to €327,888. In comparison, the Crekav trading GP’s 25 apartments have an average cost of €333,840.

The median home value in the Republic equates to €237,000. In comparison to the united states the median home value is $226,800. Adjusted to euros the median cost of a home in the US amounts to only €200,363.09. While the average price per …

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